Since that one visit, I haven't seen Lois for the rest of the summer. Her father transferred her to a military hospital about 120 miles outside of town. I wanted to visit her, but I knew I was pushing my luck.

Maybe meeting her was just a one-time thing.

Who am I kidding; I can't get her out of my mind.

"Hey Clark, what's with the gloomy face?"

"Huh?" I look up to see it was Chloe. I didn't realize she was here.

"Last year jitters?" She asks in a cheerful voice. "I can't believe this is gonna be it. It went by so fast," she reflected.

I shrug my shoulders. I was pretty indifferent to the whole thing. I have bigger things occupying my thoughts as of late, and no, it isn't about a girl, at least not entirely. It has to do with my father.

The biological one.

Last summer I put on a ring that held Red Kryptonite and fled to Metropolis for months. The following June, I almost succumbed to my father's calling by bringing myself back to the Kawatche caves and handing myself to him.

It's all been pretty confusing for me, a lot of the times I can't wrap my head around it. Why do so many people have so much expectations from me when all I feel like doing is disappearing?

I'm drowning and no ones can see it. My struggle to breathe is mine and mine alone.

I wish it didn't have to be.

The Talon

Martha Kent has taken up the reigns for The Talon. The extra income helps, even though Jonathan protested at first. In the end, his wife won. Naturally.

"Can I have a warm cup of caramel macchiato soy?"

Martha turned around and looked at the patron with surprise.

"Lois!"

The young woman smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Kent"

Martha rushed around the counter and gave Lois a hug.

"Wow," Lois reacted when she felt Mrs. Kent's arms wrap around her. "And you barely even know me," she says a bit playfully.

Martha let her go but still held her in arms length with both hands. "You saved my life. I know enough"

Lois smiled again and just about nearly melted at her sincerity.

"I'm so glad to see you," Martha says.

Lois sat herself on a stool while Martha does the same. "With a welcome like this, it's good to see you too"

"How are you?" Martha eyed her stomach, where the bullet was once lodged.

Lois gives her a half-hearted shrug. "Recovered. Internal organs intact and operational"

"I'm so glad," Martha says in relief.

After a moment, Lois begins to twist in circulations left and right, almost awkwardly.

"So…" she restarted.

Martha gives off a low chuckle. "What brings you back to Smallville? Aren't you starting Met-U?" She waves to one of her employees to watch the register so she and Lois could continue their brief chat.

"Orientation is this Saturday," Lois begins, getting more comfortable at the choice conversation. "I'm visiting Lex for the week before I bring my brain back to Metropolis University for higher learning"

Martha laughs; Lois Lane is quite the character. An immediate thought sprung to mind.

"You should join us for dinner tonight. Or tomorrow. Anytime before you leave," Martha insisted.

Lois laughs, appreciative of Martha's kind hospitality. "How can I refuse with an offer like that?" she says with a smile.

"Then it's done," Martha says happily. "Tonight, seven o'clock." She grabs a table napkin and jots down the address.

Lois looks on a bit overwhelmed. Her initial intention was just to say hello and leave. She hadn't expected to spend forty-five minutes with Mrs. Kent just talking. And it felt quite natural.

Now she just accepted dinner at the Kent Household tonight at seven.

She wasn't even thinking on seeing Clark again either, so tonight will prove to be rather interesting to say the least.

Lex's Mansion

Lois walks up the stairs as Lex steps down.

"There you are," Lex greeted with a smile. "I was beginning to wonder if you've become directionally impaired."

They finally reached each other and hugged. Lex is happy to see her and vice versa.

"I had to do a brief stopover at the coffee house"

Lex nods in understanding.

"Look, um… I know we were suppose to watch a movie tonight, but do you think you can reschedule it tomorrow."

Lex is disappointed but held his feelings in. "Let me guess, Mrs. Kent invited you to dinner."

Lois nods sheepishly. "Yeah"

He smiles weakly. "She's an amazing cook. Once you get a taste of her home cook meals, you're liable to make up as many excuses to stop by"

"You speak like you have experience"

"It was a while ago"

She saw something familiar. "You're mad"

"I'm not mad," he tells her.

Lois doesn't believe him. "You uncross your arms, lower your voice and slump your shoulders when you're mad at me," she explains to him in detail. "And you do it in descending order"

Lex furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. With a heavy voice, "I don't do that!"

"Yes you do," she argues. "You've done that ever since I accidentally broke that really old grandfather clock your father liked"

"Please!" he scoffed.

She rolled her eyes. "All right, it wasn't an accident. Oh come on, it was hideous! Besides, you enjoyed the fact that I drove your father nuts"

Lex had to smile at that. "Why do you think I still keep you around"

"Haha." She places a hand on top of the banister and recalls an old memory. "Remember when we'd use to slide down these things?"

Lex thinks back to those days.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Every time we played tag, you'd ride the rails all the way down while the nanny screams that it wasn't lady like"

They both laugh.

"So much has changed," she says softly.

"As long as we're still friends, nothing has changed," Lex assures her, pulling her in for another hug. When he lets her go, he takes her bags. "Here, let me. I'll take this to your room and you can get ready for dinner with the Kent's."

"You sure you're okay with this?"

"If I say no, will you believe me?"

"No"

"Then there's your answer. As long as I don't lose you completely to them, I think I can let you go this one night"

Lois smiles. "Thank you"

"Yeah, yeah"

Lex didn't like it but he already knew that. And Lois knew it too because hardly anything gets by her. A part of him is just not ready to share her with Clark Kent, or even the Kent's because if he did, it'll be another person that'll be in Clark's side, leaving Lex with no one.

Lex is too afraid to let that happen.

To be continued…